The Swan is a 1956 remake by MGM of a 1925 film (also remade in 1930 as One Romantic Night). The film is a romantic comedy directed by Charles Vidor, produced by Dore Schary from a screenplay by John Dighton based on the play by Ferenc Molnár. The original music score was by Bronislau Kaper, the cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg and Robert Surtees, the art direction by Randall Duell and Cedric Gibbons and the costume design by Helen Rose.
The film stars Grace Kelly, Alec Guinness and Louis Jourdan with Agnes Moorehead, Jessie Royce Landis, Brian Aherne, Leo G. Carroll, Estelle Winwood and Robert Coote.
Plot
The film deals with the story of the daughter of a minor branch of a European royal house who is being considered as a wife for her cousin, the heir to the throne.
Princess Alexandra (Grace Kelly) is the princess, her cousin the crown prince, Albert, is played by Alec Guinness, and her brothers' tutor, a commoner for whom she thinks she may feel more affection than she does for the prince, is played by Louis Jourdan.
The princess's relatives — played by Jessie Royce Landis, Estelle Winwood, and Brian Aherne — are comically eccentric, and Agnes Moorehead, as the queen who shows up near the end to find out if the princess has made the grade, is crankily imperious. Leo G. Carroll plays their butler. Van Dyke Parks also appears in this movie.
Princess Alexandra is urged by her mother to accept Albert so that their family may regain a throne that was taken from them by Napoleon. Princess Alexandra tries to gain Albert's attention; he is otherwise taken with sleeping late, shooting duck and playing football with Alexandra's two younger brothers. Alexandra's mother urges her to show interest in the tutor, Mr. Agi, to make Albert jealous and stimulate a proposal from him.
Agi is already taken with Alexandra and when she invites him to the farewell ball for the crown prince he eagerly accepts. Later when they are dancing at the ball it appears that Albert is getting jealous but instead he is more interested in playing the bass in the orchestra.
Later, Agi tells Alexandra how he feels about her. She tells him that it was all a ploy to get Albert to propose to her and she suspected he felt this way. She realizes that she has some feelings for him but he refuses her. Albert comes to find out about this situation and is a little taken aback. Albert and Agi trade insults. Agi then storms out and tries to leave the next morning.
Alexandra, distraught over what happened, tries to leave with him, but he refuses her again. Albert's mother shows up and gets the entire story and is aghast. Albert gives his blessing to the pair and says that when he is king he will allow them back into the country. However, Agi ends up leaving the mansion without Alexandra.
Albert tries to console Alexandra by telling her she is like a swan: on the water she looks serene, but on land she is more like a goose. Albert then offers Alexandra his arm and they walk back into the mansion together.
Background and production notes
The play on which the film is based is A Hattyú, Vígjáték Három Felvonásban (The Swan) by Ferenc Molnár (Budapest, 1914), and the play The Swan, translated and adapted by Melville C. Baker. The original Broadway production opened at the Cort Theatre, New York, on 23 October 1923 and ran for 255 performances. Leading the cast were Eva LeGallienne, Philip Merivale, Basil Rathbone and Alison Skipworth.
The role of Prince Albert was originally offered to Rex Harrison, then to Joseph Cotten, before being given to Alec Guinness. This was Guinness' first American film.
Grace Kelly had previously appeared in the CBS television production of The Swan on 9 June 1950.
The film was shot on location in North Carolina, at the 1895 Biltmore Estate of George W. Vanderbilt in Asheville and at Lake Junaluska.
MGM held the release of The Swan to correspond with the wedding day of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco, on 18 April 1956.
Music
The score was composed by Bronislau Kaper and conducted by Johnny Green, with orchestrations by Robert Franklyn. One piece of source music, "Rakoczy March," an 1809 piece by John Bihari, was conducted by Miklos Rozsa.[1]
MGM Records released two suites of portions of the music from the film on long-playing record after the release of the film. The complete score was released in 2004, on cd, on the Film Score Monthly label.
Other versions
Original Broadway Production
The original Broadway production of The Swan opened on Broadway in 1923, with Eva Le Gallienne as Princess Alexandra, Philip Merivale as Prince Albert, and Basil Rathbone as the tutor.
References
- ^ Bond, Jeff (2004). Release notes for The Swan by Bronislau Kaper, p. 4 (CD insert notes). Culver City, California, U.S.A.: Film Score Monthly (Vol. 7, No. 5).
External links
